Should've Said No
by His Lil' Half-Blood Princess
Summary: Severus Snape goes to Albus Dumbledore for forgiveness. Dumbledore, however, isn't as compassionate as Severus believed he would be.


**Should've Said No**

_I love this song so much! Of course, it isn't about a stupid sixteen year old boy who joins an evil maniac- it's about a guy who cheats on his girlfriend, but I mean, come on, how can I not think of Severus saying yes to Voldemort when I hear this song?_

_Taylor Swift is my inspiration in my music. SS19 is my inspiration in my writing (except when she offers me sherbet lemons -.-). Hehe! And I was going to write this in Lily's POV- it would have worked so much better. HOWEVER, SS19 wrote a Lily fic for me, so I'm going to make this Dumbledore's POV. xDDDDD I'm __**such **__a good friend (and so humble too!) Just kidding =)_

_Ummm...Dumbledore's kinda mean here...this is AU, of course._

_This is also dedicated to Evelyn, who has seen me in my weakest and I in hers. She's sweet, funny, pretty, supportive, and a true encouragement. :"D_

_Of course, I don't own this song. It belongs to the amazing Taylor Swift._

**XxXxX**

_You say that you take it all back, given once chance_

_It was a moment of weakness and you said yes..._

**XxXxX**

"I know I shouldn't have done it," the shaking young wizard in front of me said, his palms sweating and his cheeks flushed. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face was pale as a ghost. He seemed like a shadow- easily ignored. I looked him over, up and down. He was extremely thin and weak and in desperate need of medical attention. He seemed exhausted, as though he was about to fall asleep any moment now. "But I...I couldn't help myself. I had nothing left, This was the only choice I had. It was the only thing that would ensure something...I had nothing else to do with my life."

"Certainly that is untrue," I said, my voice cold and hard. He seemed to be showing remorse. But Voldemort knew how to act as well, and being that this was his favorite...I didn't know if I could trust him. "You could have done many other things, with your brains and talent, Severus. You could have become an Auror or work for the Ministry or even become a teacher."

"You don't understand," he said, his voice soft. "I was sixteen years old and I had nobody left...I wasn't thinking straight... I just wanted a family. Somewhere to belong. I didn't want to wait. Besides, he wanted me. Why would I refuse that offer? Someone had actually wanted me!"

"You knew it was wrong. You knew what the Death Eaters did. Why, if you needed help, would you not come to one of the teachers?"

"They wouldn't listen," he spat, bitterly. "They'd just give their fake sympathy. I tried with Slughorn. He didn't help. He just told me 'Keep your head up and keep getting good grades'. How is that supposed to help me?"

"You could have come to me," I said, staring into the dark eyes of the younger man. He was afraid and confused...he even seemed sorry. Seemed. I doubted he was. I could not trust a Death Eater.

"I didn't think you would be any different."

"Then why are you here now?

"I had no other choice."

"Of course you did, Severus!" I snapped and he looked shocked, his eyes now wide. "You keep saying the same thing over and over and over! _You've always had choices! _You either chose not to take them or didn't think clearly enough to see them! You could have chosen to abandon your Slytherin crowd and make new friends and not join the Death Eaters!"

"No one wanted to hang round a Slytherin like me except for them! They had all of the connections to power- that was something I wanted! It was so appealing...It was so hard to resist." He faded off and took a sudden interest in his hands. I rolled my eyes.

"Well," I said, softening my voice a bit. "Now we know you can't be trusted with power, can you?" And to my surprise, instead of debating that and making more stupid excuses, he shook his head.

"No," he said, still avoiding my eyes. "I can't."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to be a Death Eater. I take it all back. I don't want to live like this anymore. Anything is better than him. Please help me..."

**XxXxX**

_You should've said no, you should've gone home_

_You should've thought twice before you let it all go..._

**XxXxX**

"Why should I help a Death Eater? Why should I take you under my wing?" I asked cooly. He finally looked up at me, his face pleading.

"I don't know- I'll do anything if you do so- please. I can't bare to be near him anymore! The Darkness is overwhelming...he is overwhelming. It's like he was full control over me and I cannot break away. I cannot be a puppet on a string anymore. He says he will give us affection and real power and everything we desire if we serve him, but he does not! I do not want to be blind like the rest of them anymore!"

I walked over to him and kneeled beside him. "Do you know what you are, Severus Snape?"

"A murderer..." he whispered. "A torturer. A thief."

"You are a slave. You speak of being trusted with power when you were given nothing more than commands to perform. You had no power. You had nothing you ever wanted. You had _nothing. _You were covered in darkness. You are merely a slave to him. Not a companion. You may be his favorite, but do you know what that means? You're the one he has the most control over..." I could feel him breaking under the emotions that were weighing down on him. "He may have made you feel better than the rest, but really... you are the lowliest of them all..."

"Please," he begged, his voice cracking. "Please, stop..."

"You want to be freed? I'm afraid I can't do that. You're no one special. You're just another criminal. I don't help criminals."

"So you're going to let me return to him?" he said, his voice dull and hopeless.

I laughed mirthlessly. "You expect me, the great Albus Dumbledore, to let one of Voldemort's favorites return to him and help him? Of course not! I'm not as mad as they say I am, Severus."

He looked confused. "Then what are you...?" Then it dawned on him and pure fear showed on his face and in his eyes. "Azkaban."

**XxXxX**

_You say that the past is the past, you need once chance_

_It was a moment of weakness and you said yes..._

**XxXxX**

"Very good, Severus, you're just as clever as ever," I said casually, standing up and walking behind my desk again.

"Please no- anything but Azkaban..."

"That makes it all the more better choice. You have to _suffer _for your choices, just like the people you've killed and tortured suffered for them."

"But please, no, I can't stand the Dementors, I'll go mad-"

"Then so be it. Like I said before, you're no better than the average Death Eater. Perhaps you're worse...You deserve Azkaban." He was about to speak again, but by then, I had had enough of him and his fake pleas. "Go rest on my couch, Severus, while I send an owl to Azkaban. They won't be here for at least an hour- you might as well get some rest." Severus avoided my eyes again and merely nodded. He made his way from the chair to the couch and lay down, staring at the ceiling. I sat down at my desk and began writing a letter to Azkaban. "And Severus?"

He turned to look at me.

"You said before that anything was better than Voldemort. I guess Azkaban isn't anything."

he looked at me for a moment, then said, "They say you give anyone a second chance. I guess I'm not anyone." And with that, he turned his back to Dumbledore and fell asleep.

**XxXxX**

_I can't resist...before you go, tell me this_

_Was it worth it?_

**XxXxX**


End file.
